"Faucet" in Spanish is grifo. This term is used throughout Spain and most Latin American countries to refer to the device that controls water flow in sinks.
The word grifo comes from the Greek word grypos, meaning "hook-nosed," which refers to the curved shape of early faucets. In some regions, particularly in Mexico and parts of Central America, you might also hear llave used, though this term more commonly means "key."
There are two primary contexts where you'll use grifo:
For example, if you're describing a leaky kitchen faucet, you'd say, "El grifo de la cocina está goteando."
Many English speakers mistakenly use llave for faucet, likely because it sounds similar to "faucet." However, llave primarily means "key," and using it to describe a faucet can cause confusion. For instance, saying "La llave del baño está rota" would literally translate to "The key of the bathroom is broken," which doesn't make sense in context.
When I traveled through Spain, I needed to ask a plumber about a broken faucet. I initially said, "Necesito ayuda con la llave del lavabo," which confused the plumber. After correcting myself to "Necesito ayuda con el grifo del lavabo," he understood immediately and fixed the issue. This experience highlighted the importance of using the correct terminology.